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Garmin Approach S50 · Photo source

Garmin Approach S50
Photo 1 of 49

Garmin Approach S50 · Photo source

Garmin · Approach

Approach S50

Released January 2025

Approach S50 is a 43 mm AMOLED golf GPS watch with slope-adjusted distances, wrist heart rate, downloaded music and a nylon band.

Type
Smart and sports
Sizes
43 mm
Movement
–
Power reserve
–
Display
OLED
Battery
10 days
Water
50 m
GPS
Single-band
Weight
29 g

What reviewers say

Golf Monthly and Plugged In Golf liked the bright AMOLED display, straightforward controls and lightweight, comfortable fit during rounds and daily wear. Both found the distance readings useful alongside a laser range finder and appreciated the combined golf and health features. Plugged In Golf recorded almost a week of use including two rounds, but encountered slow distance loading at one course. Golf Monthly criticised the subscription required for enhanced maps, touch targeting and green contours. Their on-course accuracy impressions do not establish a universal measurement guarantee.

From golfmonthly.com and pluggedingolf.com

Specifications

Report a wrong or missing spec

Display

Case sizes
43 mm
Panel
OLED
Always-on display
Yes
Display detail
30.4 mm (1.2 inch) AMOLED touchscreen, 390 x 390 pixels; optional always-on display, ambient-light sensor and large-font option. Two physical buttons.
Screen protection
Corning Gorilla Glass 3 lens.

Health and fitness

ECG
No
Blood oxygen
Yes
Skin temperature
No
Sleep apnoea alerts
No
High blood pressure alerts
No
Body composition
No
Fall detection
No
Crash detection
No
GPS
Single-band
Water resistance
50 m
Sensors
GPS, GLONASS and Galileo; Garmin Elevate wrist heart rate, Pulse Ox, compass, gyroscope, accelerometer and ambient-light sensor. No multi-band positioning is listed; maker does not number the heart-rate sensor generation. External tempe accessory supplies ambient temperature.
Health features
Continuous heart rate, high/low alerts, respiration, Body Battery, stress, advanced sleep score/coach, nap detection, HRV status, Health Snapshot and fitness age. Pulse Ox spot checks and optional sleep monitoring. Hydration and menstrual-cycle/pregnancy features use Garmin Connect and an optional Connect IQ widget; these are wellness features, not medical diagnosis.
Fitness features
Over 43,000 preloaded golf courses; front/middle/back green distances, hazards and layups, green view with manual pin position, PinPointer and elevation-adjusted PlaysLike distances. Digital scorecard, handicap/Stableford scoring, statistics and custom targets. AutoShot detects fairway shots automatically without club sensors; putts are not detected. Optional CT1 tags require tapping the watch; CT10 sensors add automatic club tracking. Compatible Z30 laser range finder shares measured distances. Enhanced CourseView vector maps, touch targeting and green contours need paid Garmin Golf membership; base yardages and PlaysLike do not. Tournament mode disables non-permitted features. Running, cycling, pool swimming, strength, HIIT, yoga, Pilates and other sport profiles; workouts, animated exercises, VO2 max and recovery time. Current web table lists open-water metrics, but the exact activity list and owner guide document pool swimming only; do not treat that generic row as an established open-water profile.
Safety features
Incident detection during supported activities, assistance and LiveTrack require a paired compatible phone and available network; not standalone emergency communication.

Battery and connections

Battery life (maker's claim)
Up to 10 days
Mobile data option
No
Works with
iPhone and Android
Storage
4 GB
Battery life detail
Up to 10 days in smartwatch mode and 15 hours in GPS mode. Maker web conditions use gesture wake in smartwatch mode and always-on while golfing; October 2025 owner guide labels the 15-hour figure all-satellite mode. Actual life depends on sensors, notifications and other features. Battery saver is available but no separate duration is published.
Charging
Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery; Garmin proprietary charging/data connector and supplied cable connected to a USB charging port.
Connectivity
Bluetooth, ANT+ and Wi-Fi; Garmin Golf, Garmin Connect, Garmin Express and Connect IQ. Garmin Pay with supported banks; downloaded personal music and supported Spotify/Amazon Music/Deezer services may need subscriptions and Bluetooth headphones. Phone notifications; Android-only text replies and notification images. No cellular configuration.

Design

Weight (lightest version)
29 g
Software
Garmin
Case materials
Anodised aluminium bezel, Gorilla Glass 3 lens and ComfortFit nylon band with hook-and-loop fastening; Black/Slate and Ivory/Cream Gold finishes.
Size
Current UK table: 43 x 43 x 11.4 mm, 29 g. Ivory S/M nylon band fits 127–190 mm wrists; Black M/L fits 145–217 mm. 20 mm quick-release attachment. UK web table calls it industry standard, while October 2025 owner guide says not compatible with third-party bands; retain that compatibility conflict. Japanese launch table gives 12.5 mm thickness, so UK dimensions are used here without treating the regional discrepancy as another model.
Reference and release detail
Garmin US announcement on 21 January 2025 states available now; this establishes earliest documented on-sale date. Japanese release was 30 January 2025. UK first shipping day is not independently established. S44 is a co-launched lower-feature model, not an evidenced predecessor.

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Preloaded golf courses, PlaysLike distances and automatic shot detection
  • AMOLED touchscreen with two physical buttons
  • Heart-rate and sleep tracking, Garmin Pay and offline music

Cons

  • Enhanced hole maps, touch targeting and green contours require a subscription
  • No multi-band GPS
  • Only one case size

Closest rivals

Model
TypeSizesMovementPower reserveDisplayBatteryWaterGPSWeightReleased
GarminApproach S44
Smart and sports43 mm––OLED10 days50 mSingle-band42 gJan 2025
Garminvívoactive 6
Smart and sports42.2 mm––OLED11 days50 mSingle-band36 gApr 2025
GarminApproach J1
Smart and sports43 mm––OLED10 days50 mSingle-band29 gJan 2026

Sources

  1. garmin.com/en-GB/p/1604377/pn/010-03010-00
  2. garmin.com/en-GB/p/1604377/pn/010-03010-01
  3. garmin.com/en-US/p/1604377
  4. www8.garmin.com/manuals/webhelp/GUID-C3D54BBE-3966-4DA1-B60C-AD69DA5CC163/EN-US…
  5. support.garmin.com/en-GB
  6. garmin.com/en-US/newsroom/press-release/outdoor/level-up-your-golf-game-with-vi…
  7. mynewsdesk.com/ch/garmin/pressreleases/approach-s44-und-s50-neue-smarte-golfuhr…
  8. mnd-assets.mynewsdesk.com/image/upload/f_pdf%2Cfl_attachment/vzirtdmz6hb7y33kg1…
  9. mnd-assets.mynewsdesk.com/image/upload/f_pdf%2Cfl_attachment/oukfepf669tvrhx29k…
  10. garmin.co.jp/news/pressroom/news2025-0123-approach-s50
  11. www8.garmin.com/manuals/webhelp/GUID-C3D54BBE-3966-4DA1-B60C-AD69DA5CC163/EN-US…

Photo: mnd-assets.mynewsdesk.com

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